'Kirkus' May Be Coming Back, 'E&P' Next?

Folio reports, you decide.

Born at the 'USA'

There's a new Web site redesign, first since 2007, over at USAToday.com. Here's how they describe it in a release:

USA TODAY, the nation’s top-selling print newspaper and a leading online destination, announces a newly designed home page for USATODAY.com. Launched in 1995, this is the first major redesign for the news and information site since 2007, when USATODAY.com launched the concept of network journalism, becoming the first major newspaper website to allow user commenting and community engagement. A video tour of the newly designed home page can be seen at: redesign.usatoday.com.

“Over the last few years we at USATODAY.com have been listening to feedback, watching users engage with our site and analyzing usage patterns,” said Jeff Webber, publisher of USA TODAY.com. “We believe these improvements to USATODAY.com improve our home page, better serving our readers and offering new opportunities for our partners.”

The new USATODAY.com offers a cleaner and simpler navigation and experience, making it easier for users to find the content they are looking for. There is also a noticeable increase in performance with the new page loading 25 to 35% faster, giving users the news they need as quickly as possible. Initially launching just on the home page, design changes will spread throughout the rest of USATODAY.com over several weeks in the beginning of 2010.

Dave Eggers and A Wider "Panorama'

The author and McSweeney's founder, fresh from their success with the Bay Area "Panorama" newspaper, weighs in with an overview of the many good things about newspapers. Excerpt:

To me, the print business model is so simple, where readers pay a dollar for all the content within, and that supports the enterprise. The web model is just so much more complicated, and involves this third party of advertisers, and all these other sources of revenue that are sort of provisional, but haven’t been proven yet. We’ve lost that very simple transaction that’s so pure, where a reader can say, “I support what you’re doing, here’s my dollar. I know that you guys are gonna be watchdogs or keep the government accountable, so here’s my 50-cent contribution each day.” It’s just so tidy, and I think so inspiring.

Making It Even Tweeter

Poynter today offers 8 tips for improving your attempts to get real news via Twitter. We got countless scoops at E&P by following Twitter and so can you. Meanwhile, check EPers feeds, links over in the right rail on this page.

Idaho Papers Seek Support for Football Heroes

Two Idaho newspapers made clear their belief that Boise State University football deserves national champion recognition for its victory Monday night over TCU in the Fiesta Bowl. The Bronco's 17-10 win gives them a perfect 14-0 season. But the team has no place in Thursday night's national championship game in Pasadena between Texas and Alabama.

The Idaho Statesman of Boise covered its Page One with a phote and the headline "14 and Ohhh!" while the Idaho Press-Tribune of Nampa did the same, declaring "Vindication in Bronco Nation." -- Joe Strupp

Tuesday Morning Linkage

How now, Dow? Company re-organizes its media groups.

Swift action: Dana Milbank of Wash Post has a modest proposal to save newspapers: An internet boycott.

Call and response: Google taking wraps off new mobile phone.

Tribulations: Chicago Tribune latest to go from 75 cents to a buck on newsstands.

Something 'Horrible' at 'Newsday'

Union there agrees to put what it calls a "horrible" contract to workers -- calls for 10% wage cuts, and other give backs.

The Thin Line

Famed film director Errol Morris completes his massive two-part piece at the NYT online (he's written for them for some time) on the use of photos and manipulation (Photoshop and otherwise) in covering current conflicts in the Middle East. Fascinating stuff, starting with...Mickey Mouse.

Former 'E&P' Award Winner Gets Another Honor

Shiho Fukada, who won the E&P Photos of the Year contest in 2008 for her work on the aftermath of the China earthquake, has been awarded an Alicia Patterson grant for her current project in Japan. She's a great person, too. Here is a piece about it at the NYT Lens blog. -- Reiko Matsuo

A Tip of the Hat to Those in 'Exile' -- And A Scoop

From CJR today. Thanks, brothers. We've also gotten a number of good letters. Appreciate all of it. And if you want a preview of our (not final?) January 2010 issue, go to O'Dwyer's here. The issue arrived at their NYC office today and they quote a few things. That's the cover image at left.

Someone Forgot to Tell Hollywood...

...that reporters are unhip, one step in the grave, not major players or attractive. The past year has seen another surge in journos as key movers and shakers in movie scripts. E&P even showed up in the office of Helen Mirren, the publisher, in State of Play. Here's trailer for the latest, the widely-hailed Crazy Heart, with Maggie Gyllenhall doing the honors this time.

But Print Is Dead, Right?

Rick Edmonds at Poynter says most newspaper stocks went up, way up, last year, some tenfold. Of course, cutting, not new revenue, was main reason. But still. Details here.

Jen Saba Checks In

It's BAAAACCK. Advertising that is. At least according to this sunny article by Russell Adams and Shira Ovide who note that newspapers are likely to see upticks in Q4. (WSJ, warning, pay wall).

What happens when a major news story breaks and you don't have an edition to deliver to homes over Christmas? We're talking about Detroit, fyi. Single copy sales were up 8% on Christmas after a terrorist tried to blow up a plane bound for the Motor City.

A media scandal breaks in India -- let's call it a creative way to charge for content. Some papers and TV stations are taking money from politicians in exchange for coverage. -- Jennifer Saba

A Round on the Links

Chicago Bears apologize to fans in newspaper ad for hibernating most of year.

Moon rising? Wash Times names new senior editors after house-cleaning.

Web feat: Politico and Huff Post claim to actually be making money now. But note to Web triumphalists: Most of Politico profits come from PRINT.

Cutting remark: Gannett staffing allegedly down from 53,000 to 39,000 in past decade.

'Wichita Eagle' Publisher Heading to Alabama

Publisher Pam Siddall of The Wichita Eagle, a McClatchy paper, is leaving to head up The Birmingham (Ala.) News, the Eagle reported Monday. No replacement has been named yet, but the story says the search is on. The Birmingham News is an Advance Publications daily. -Joe Strupp

Holy Moses! Only 9 Commandments on Tablet

Ken Doctor looks at the hope and the hype and everything in-between re: the upcoming Apple tablet. David Carr in NYT expressed his own enthusiam today (hasn't been this excited since age 8). The newspaper biz: from tabloid to tablet?

Welcome to Our New Home Away from Home

This is the first day in over 125 years that Editor & Publisher is not fully in operation. As many of you know, the magazine received a shutdown notice from The Nielsen Co. last month. But support for E&P was so wide and overwhelming, we published the January issue and drew a lot of interest from potential buyers. That interest continues but we had to vacate our offices last Thursday. AOL covered it here, and our farewell (for now) piece at E&P is here. But staffers will be maintaining daily contact with our audience via this new blog. And unlike at E&P, we're even allowed video and comments!

You can read the first posts below, and also find our twitter feeds and, on the rail to the right, our home emails. We hope we won't be "Too Long in Exile," as Van Morrison put it, but please join us while we're here. -- Greg Mitchell

'NYT' Sets New Record -- Posts 'Magazine' Story Two Weeks Early

In the past two years, The New York Times Magazine has increasingly scooped itself by posting its cover story online a day or two or five before the Sunday when it actually came out. Today it goes much further, putting up at its Web site the planned cover story for its January 17 issue. Apparently the terrorist concerns or the past week, and President Obama's actions, sparked the push. When you read the opening grafs of the Peter Baker piece, a scoop in itself, you may understand:

The evening before he was sworn into office, Barack Obama stepped out of Blair House, the government residence where he was staying across from the White House, and climbed into an armored limousine for the ride to a bipartisan dinner. Joining him in the back seat were John Brennan, his new counterterrorism adviser, and two foreign-policy advisers, Denis McDonough and Mark Lippert. The three men with the president-elect were out of breath, having rushed more than a mile from transition headquarters on foot after failing to find a taxi in Washington’s preinaugural madness. As the motorcade moved out, they updated Obama on gathering evidence of a major terrorist plot to attack his inauguration. After a weekend of round-the-clock analysis, the nation’s intelligence agencies were concerned that the threat was real, the men told him. A group of Somali extremists was reported to be coming across the border from Canada to detonate explosives as the new president took the oath of office. With more than a million onlookers viewing the ceremony from the National Mall and hundreds of millions more watching on television around the world, what could be a more devastating target?

“All the data points suggested there was a real threat evolving quickly that had an overseas component,” Juan Carlos Zarate, President George W. Bush’s deputy national security adviser for combating terrorism, told me in November. As the inauguration approached, signs of a plot “seemed to be growing in credibility and relevance."

Pirated TV Ad Under 'The Sun'

They do things a little different, and with more raunch, in the U.K. tabloid world. Shiver me timbers--there's even a "treasure chest."

Papers Get Local Fix

Interesting NYT piece Monday on new Web tool for news outlets that help readers get help from local officials and agencies: SeeClickFix.com.

Missouri Paper To Charge For Political Letters

The Southeast Missourian of Cape Girardeau, Mo., will begin charging a $25 fee to publish letters opposing or supporting political candidates.

A story in Sunday’s paper revealed the plan for the new fees, stating, “Every election cycle results in the submission of letters regarding local, state and federal candidates. Because of the tone of too many of these letters, the Southeast Missourian has adhered to its policy of not publishing any such letters rather than picking and choosing some.

“The Paid Election Letter option gives those who want to express their opinion an outlet. By attaching a fee to these letters, it is hoped writers will use their 150 words well to express their views.” -Joe Strupp

Illinois Paper Suspends Reader Comments

The Pantagraph of Bloomington, Ill., took a “cooling off” period this weekend, suspending online reader comments for three days, AP reports. In a note to readers, Editor Mark Pickering said there had been too many offensive comments and personal attacks that had nothing to do with stories.

"The problem is one of civility," he wrote. The comments will be reinstated Monday. -Joe Strupp

The Ethics of Freelancers

Clark Hoyt, NYT public editor, tackles the many recent cases of dumping outside contributors because of ethics issues. What to do? Especially when newspapers are using more of them due to cutting back regular staff.

How Tweet It Is: Another Way to Follow Us

You can continue to follow several E&P folks on Twitter now and in the future.

Mitchell.
Strupp.
Jen.
Fitz.

In addition, Editor Greg Mitchell's personal blog, Pressing Issues, focuses on media issues. And Joe Strupp's own blog is here.

Yoo Dirty Rat?

Over at my own blog, Pressing Issues, I have exclusive preview of tomorrow's NYT Magazine interview with "torture memos" author John Yoo. He defends, of course, and also fingers Lincoln as far worse than Bush for abuse of power. -- Greg Mitchell

Deborah Howell Dies in Road Accident

The former Wash Post ombud and editor at Pi-Press and Newhouse, was killed in an accident in New Zealand. She was 68. We remember her for many things at E&P, including her annual Pulitzer "cabal" that managed to suss out most of the top-secret finalists for the prizes well in advance. Joe Strupp later built on this at E&P. Here's one of a dozen tributes today.

Immortal Combat

One of my favorite pieces of NYT art today on front page of arts section, from Lou Beech, who has done E&P covers: my man Beethoven with my son's icon, an Xbox controller, as his neck wear. Also includes my son's world of film and my electric guitar roots. Click image to enlarge. -- Greg Mitchell

Babes in the Words

Newspapers had no shortage of first baby stories today, the mandatory New Year’s Day coverage hitting at least 500 newspapers and their Web sites according to an online search. Newspapers ranging from the Huntington (W.V.) Herald Dispatch to The Toronto Sun reported these Baby New Year stories.

Hey, some things never change. – Joe Strupp

Strupp Scores at the Buzzer!

We thought we'd posted our last story at the top of the Editor & Publisher site yesterday afternoon but then Joe Strupp managed to finish a closing column at home, notify the ed., who was still clearing out his office, and get it posted at 5 p.m. on New Year's Eve. It's in the vein of we -- and certainly, he -- may not be done yet, but in any case, thanks for the memories. Check it out here.

Ellen Goodman Pens Farewell Column

Easy to forget she was something of a pioneer. Here's the piece.